Q: Can you explain CSRS Offset to me. In January 2011, I’ll have 25 years in civil service and I am thinking about retiring next year at age 63. I have paid in a lot of social security over the years and very little civil service retirement. A: CSRS Offset employees are covered by CSRS and Social Security. When you retire, your CSRS annuity will be offset by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while covered by CSRS Offset. The amount you receive will be the same; however, it will come from two different places, OPM and the…
Monthly Archives: November, 2010
Q: I am 60 and will retire Nov. 3 with 37 years under CSRS. My wife is 59 and we are covered under Federal Employees Health Benefits. She is disabled and receiving Social Security benefits. My question is, when will she have to sign up for Medicare Part B and which insurance will be primary? A: According to the Social Security Administration, because she is under 65 and disabled, she’ll automatically get Part B. She’ll get her Medicare card in the mail about 3 months before her 65th birthday or after her 25th month of disability. Because she is unemployed, Medicare…
Q: I am a CSRS federal retiree with 35 years of service who will turn 65 in late December. Will I automatically receive Medicare Part A and Part B or will I have to sign up for Part B? If not, can I apply for Part B before I receive Part A? I am not due to receive Part A until December 1. I am currently covered by Anthem Federal Blue Cross in New Hampshire. I retired from federal service in 2005. A: You don’t automatically get either Medicare Part A or Part B. You have to apply for them.…
Q: I served a little more than 29 years of military service. Part of this time was on active duty and about 24 years of it was as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. I have recently taken a position with the Department of Justice and am accruing six hours of annual leave per pay period. I am questioning whether this should be eight hours per pay period rather than the six. I have been inquiring regarding this matter for the past 10 months and have yet to receive an answer regarding this matter. I was of the impression…
Q: RE: Your article of Nov. 5 titled, “Re-entering Federal Service.” In this message you state that under the MRA+10 provision the annuity will be reduced by 5 percent for every year you are under age 60. I thought the age reduction penalty was 5 percent for every year under age 62? This is regardless if one has at least 20 years of service at their MRA (FERS Section 42A3.1-1A, Annuity Reduction For Age). I understand that if you postpone receiving the annuity until age 60, you can avoid the age reduction penalty altogether, but I’m referring to taking an…
Q: I am receiving disability from FERS. The dates of service are incorrect and I should have 13.5 years of federal service instead of the 5 years OPM has listed. I’m in the process of appealing Social Security disability. If I don’t get the dates of service issue rectified prior to receiving the SS disability award, will the proceeds be comingled and therefore more difficult to determine the appropriate award? If I should get to a point where I am able to go back to work, how will this affect retirement disability? Thank You! A: Under FERS during the first…
Q: Sir, I will be retiring from active duty as of 2013 with 30 years of service, at which time I will have 28 years in FERS. I have only bought back about five years of active-duty time. I have not been able to find anyone to assist me with my following questions: A) What can I do to avoid rolling my military retirement into my FERS retirement? B) In my situation is there a disadvantage or advantage in making payments for my military service? C) MRA+10 – would that assist me if I retired before I was 60 years…
Q: I could not find the answer to this question in your online FAQ. I am a retiree from the federal government receiving an annuity. My husband and I are currently enrolled in the family option of BlueCross/Blue Shield. My husband has the option of free health coverage through his current employer (an association in the private sector). Our question is: Can I take him off my BCBS plan and go to self only option while he enrolls with his employer? But, at a later date, re-elect the family option so he can be covered again by my plan? We…
Q: I switched from CSRS to FERS right at the end of 1987. I had six years under FERS. I would like to retire at the end of 2014 when I turn 62. I have two years of substantial earnings in the early ’80s. My question is whether years of substantial earnings that I earned before I was 21 count toward the 30 years of substantial earnings that I need to avoid any reduction? A: Years of substantial earnings under Social Security count no matter when, where or at what age they are earned.
Q: I am a retired Postal worker and I carry my wife on my National Association of Letter Carriers health plan. We are thinking of having her insure herself at work and having me switch to “self – only.” When she retires, will I be able to then go back to “self and family” and include her once again? A: Yes.